Hello Hatch Families,
to all the families who donated to our teacher conference breakfast and lunch and volunteered at the book fair! Our dedicated teachers worked long and hard to prepare for the many conference meetings. We truly appreciate your time and the generous donations to help make their days a bit easier.
While teachers were conferencing with families this week, our young scholars were busy celebrating literacy. All of our students were able to visit the book fair, where there was a buzz of excitement around new reading options. Thank you to the amazing parent volunteers who put in so much time and energy to make this experience possible! Our little ones in Kindergarten took a trip to the Dole branch of the Oak Park Library while our 3-5th graders enjoyed our first author visit from Tom Watson! Our 4th graders had a writing celebration in which they shared their finished pieces with their peers. We ended the week with a visit from professional storyteller, Donna Washington, who shred engaging stories from around the world with our children.
On Wednesday instead of a typical Second Step lesson our Hatch students participated in a booster lesson to refresh our memory on the Hatch Habits and participated in goal setting activities for parent teacher conferences.
on Tuesday which will focus on our school improvement plan as well as social conflict vs. bullying: How to help your child navigate difficult situations!
Picture retakes are scheduled for next Thursday, October 26th. Please email your student’s teacher if they will be retaking their picture. See attached picture retake flyer.
We are looking forward to seeing everyone at the Halloween Disco next Friday! Please remember there is no drop off at this event. All parents are responsible for attending with their children. There will be a haunted hallway, music, a costume contest, a sensory room for students who may need a break, and much much more! Thank you to our many parent volunteers who make this special night possible. Don’t forget to drop off your entry for the pumpkin decorating contest on Wednesday or Thursday!
Every child should be able to experience the joy and tradition of trick-or-treating on Halloween. But kids with food allergies are often left out of the fun, since most candy is off limits. FAREs Teal Pumpkin Project helps make sure all children will come home on Halloween night with something they can enjoy. It just takes ONE simple act: offering non-food treats, such as glow sticks, pencils or small toys, as an alternative to candy. The Teal Pumpkin Project raises awareness of food allergies and promotes, a safer, happier Halloween by encouraging households to make non-food treats available so that trick-or-treaters who need to avoid candy - due to food allergies or other reasons- can fully participate. Households can show they are participating by placing a teal pumpkin in front of their home. Working together, we can keep children with food allergies safe and included this Halloween season.
Visit tealpumpkinproject.org to learn more!
See the attached flyer for the OPREF Open House coming up.
PTO Reminders
Is it bullying or more of a difficult social situation for your child? Learn more at the next PTO meeting
Join us October 24 from 7-8 p.m. in the Library/Media Center. Ms. Mura, our Hatch social worker, will provide parents with valuable information on Social Conflict and Bullying. Hatch principal Sarah Mendez will present on Hatch's School Improvement Plan – including closing the achievement gap.
Free childcare is provided in the Art Room.
Registration opens Monday for Session 2 of Hatch After Hours (HAH) classes
The early bird and scholarship registration period is October 23-25. Regular registration continues thru November 3. Session 2 HAH classes run from November 13 to January 25. Check out our successful returning classes and new ones offered!
The link to class catalog will be posted on hatchpto.org/hatch-after-hours and in this Sunday’s Hatch Happenings. Thank you parents for your continuous support of HAH. Questions? email [email protected]
Hatch Pumpkin Festival Decorating Contest
Bring your child's carved and/or decorated pumpkin on the morning of ct 26 or 27. Get the details and entry Guidelines.
Hatch Halloween Disco
Get your tickets in advance and save. Here’s the ticket order form to return to your child’s teacher by Wednesday, Oct. 25. The Halloween Disco party supports PTO programs at Hatch. Come enjoy music, a costume contest, games and food! The Halloween Disco takes place Friday, October 27 from 6-8 p.m.
Volunteer at the Disco or supply a Halloween goodie
The Halloween Disco needs volunteers and parents to supply various Halloween-related supplies. Please sign up here.
World Language Enrichment - Students wanted
We're looking for additional students for PTO-sponsored World Language Enrichment classes, particularly in French, German and Mandarin. At our current enrollment levels, we do not have enough students to run the Mandarin program. German and French are small groups as well.
Classes meet during lunch on Tuesdays from November 7 into April. It's a great opportunity for an affordable & convenient introduction to a new language and a fun change of pace for the kids at lunchtime during the cold weather months. Use the enrollment form to sign up. Questions? Email Christine at [email protected].
Tiger Cash
Tiger Cash gift card order forms are now available on the Hatch website. Reminder to turn in your forms by the second Friday of each month.
Event for the D97 special education and disability community
The Diversity Committees from the D97 PTOs would like to hear from parents of students with disabilities and students in Special Education, or D97 parents with disabilities. Please join a Community Conversation on October 26 hosted specifically for you at the Oak Park Main library. Visit the event page on Facebook to register and request childcare if needed.
Check out the Digital Backpack
Did you know there is school, PTO, district and community event information posted on the Hatch website? We call it the digital backpack. Here’s the link: http://www.op97.org/hatch/dp/